Tasting Notes for Kalleske Florentine Chenin Blanc 2021 from the Winery

2021 Florentine is lustrous pale straw in colour.

It is immediately elevated with aromas of fresh apple, angelica perfume, gooseberry, wild plum, quince and some pineapple.

The palate is bright with plenty of fresh juicy fruits. White fruits lead along with tropical notes and a touch of sherbert. There is zesty citrus acidity and an underlying minerality that combine to give a beautiful structure and backbone. The clean and radiant fruits carry through to a long and cheerful finish. Florentine can be enjoyed now but will cellar gracefully.

Chenin Blanc

This single vineyard Chenin Blanc, sourced from mature vines on our Kalleske farm, is a vibrant fruit-driven wine. These old vines are one of the few remaining Chenin blanc vineyards in the Barossa. Grapes were harvested in the cool night and gently pressed for fermentation to provide a naturally varietal yet complex wine.  It gains its name from Caroline ‘Florentine’ Kalleske, the first daughter of Johann Georg Kalleske who migrated to Australia from Prussia in 1838. Florentine is a genuine hand crafted wine that’s been grown, vintaged and matured on our Kalleske estate at Greenock in the North-Western Barossa.

Growing Season

Vintage 2021 was an exemplary year with fine wines and good yields. Growing season rainfall was marginally below average and temperatures were mild ensuring vine canopies remained healthy. Vintage weather was absolutely perfect throughout, with dry mild-warm days and cool nights ensuring even and steady ripening across all varieties. There is strong colour and flavour across all the reds along with excellent structure and balance whilst the whites are bright, fresh and elegant.  

Vineyard

Florentine is from a single vineyard of Chenin Blanc on the Kalleske property that was planted in 1988. The vines are low yielding and soil is shallow sand with clay subsoil.

Winemaking

The grapes were harvested in the cool of the night on February 25th. They were then pressed and the juice was briefly settled prior to racking where it was cooly fermented in tank for fifteen days. The wine was bottled immediately after primary fermentation whilst young and fresh to retain utmost vibrancyy.

(SKU: KA_CBl_21)